CNN —

Drinking any amount of alcohol increases your risk of dementia later in life, according to a new study that challenges prior research findings.

Some research has suggested light drinking — such as fewer than seven drinks a week — may be more neuroprotective than no alcohol at all. Those studies, however, focused on older people and didn't differentiate between former drinkers and lifelong nondrinkers, thus potentially skewing the results, study authors said.

In the new study, published Tuesday in the journal BMJ Evidence-Based Medicine , researchers analyzed how certain genes linked to alcohol might impact how liquor consumption affects the brain.

"The genetic analyses results (showed) that even small amounts of alcohol could increase dementia risk," said lead study author An

See Full Page